In the genesis, the man, “Adam” has as etymological root “Adama”, this clay that is his substance and his home. Through time and civilization, the links between man and his land have always been deep and complex, but rarely as glowing as in Israel-Palestine. After 70 years of conflict, more than a century of coexistence forced or desired, those who live daily in these territories are even more attached to them and keep their revendications. What footprint has this land left on their identity?
What hope, what imagination, what promise?
Clément Chapillon’s photographic narrative explores the connection between Israelis, Palestinians and their land. He places individualities at the heart of his narrative, through their eyes and their voices, to highlight this intimate and personal connection. The result is a puzzle of words, existences and landscapes that plunges us into the nuances and roots of this attachment. Far from clichés and Manichaean cleavages, he sketches a sensitive and aesthetic portrait of this land and puts on it a deeply human look.
“Israel / Palestine: two peoples for one land This formula, abused by political issues and totally worn out, Clement Chapillon had the courage and strength to take it seriously by bringing us back to the essential: the earth. In a dazzling photographic reportage, he shows us how all those who live there, Israeli Jews and Arabs, Palestinians and Druze get their strength. His photographs bearing great metaphysical depth, make us penetrate into this territory which has its own soul. “Diana Pinto, historian and writer
This work has been awarded and selected in several festivals (Tbilisi / Arles Voies Off / Circulations). In July 2017, during the Rencontres in Arles, he won the Galeries Leica portfolio reading prize.
This series is the subject of a book, Promise Me a Land, published in May 2018 by the publisher Kehrer Verlag.
Clément Chapillon – Promise Me a Land
October 4 – December 20, 2018
MAC House of Arts Créteil
Salvador Allende Square
94000 Créteil France
